It is no secret our schools had to adapt to this past year quickly. Teachers rushed to create lesson plans for remote and hybrid learning, something most had never attempted before. While teachers and administrators did a great job at adapting, many parents have concerns that the past school year was not as educationally enriching as normal. These concerns are compounded by the educational backslide of summer vacation. This summer is a time when your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club can support continuing education.
Many families struggle to continue their children’s development at home during summer vacation, leading to summer learning loss for students. Luckily, as a parent-teacher group, you are in a unique position to do something about it! Here’s how your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club can provide supplementary education for children this summer.
Host PTA, PTO, Booster Club Summer Camps
Summer camps are incredibly beneficial to child development as they provide a safe environment for children to develop important social, emotional and cognitive skills. Now is the perfect opportunity to keep kids active and social during the summer months. Your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club summer camps can vary in activities from something physical like outdoor games to cultural enrichment like fine arts and theater.
If your group isn’t ready to take on a multi-day camp, perhaps a summer social event is more suitable. Many children are left home during the summer with an older relative or babysitter while busy parents work. After a while, the lack of outside social interactions can affect children’s behavioral and mental growth. Even one or two, one-day events can help children stay open to interactions with big groups, not to mention give everyone a chance to get out of the house.
If your parent-teacher group isn’t ready to host a summer camp, you can instead use group funds to create scholarships that help students attend established private summer camps for music, theater, band, etc.
Create a Summer Program
Want to enrich the summer days of your students with more educational programs? There are a lot of great ideas your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club can initiate.
Reading level is one of the key skills children can lose over the two-month break. A great way to maintain children’s reading skills is to start a summer reading program or book club. Reading can profoundly expand a child’s vocabulary while keeping their minds engaged. It also encourages imagination, self-paced learning and is often simple to make accessible. The most important part to remember for your summer reading program is for it to be fun and easy for your learners. Do what works for them!
Speaking of fun, another great PTA, PTO, or Booster Club summer program is a board game meetup at your school, community center, or library. Board, card, and other tabletop games help kids enhance social, communication, and critical thinking skills. There are also fun games that can improve hard skills such as math and language.
Some of our most cherished memories come from field trips. Visiting somewhere new with peers is an adventure and an excellent opportunity for an educational experience. Field-based learning allows students to see, touch, and hear their school subjects, bringing an entirely new dimension to the learning experience. Museums, historical landmarks, and nature walk-throughs are just a few trip ideas that can be found near you.
Many high school students will have their future careers in the forefront of their thoughts this summer. Summer vacation provides a great opportunity for teens to learn more about the potential careers they’re interested in pursuing. Your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club summer program can help teens connect with opportunities such as internships, company visits, or job shadowing. Here they will learn more about the industries and companies they’ve taken an interest in, nurturing their career visions.
PTA, PTO, Booster Club Summer Continuing Education
Many people in the community are eager to help students enrich their education outside of school. There are hundreds of resources that students of all ages can take advantage of, and your PTA, PTO, or Booster Club can help make this information available to students. To help you get started, we’ve listed some resources below.
- 20 Teacher-Approved Educational YouTube Channels
- 35 Best Podcasts for Students in Elementary, Middle, and High School
- 17 Best Apps for Kids, According to Parents and Kids Alike
If you want to do more, make a list! There are plenty of extracurricular education organizations you and your students can join, such as Future Problem Solving Program International and Girls Who Code. These programs aim to help students become problem-solvers and barrier breakers of the future.
Keep the Parent Teacher Group Projects Rolling This Summer
Just because it’s summertime doesn’t mean your good works have to end. This summer, host a 4th of July fundraising event! An Independence Day BBQ, with an entry fee and food and drinks sales, is a fun way to bring everyone together while also raising funds for the coming school year.
Of course, summer vacation will be over before we know it, and soon students will be flooding the hallways again. Starting the school year off with all the necessary supplies helps students feel confident in themselves and promotes learning. Unfortunately, many schools don’t have the budget to provide school supplies to all their students, putting financially strapped families in a difficult spot. Hosting a school supplies drive can help students in need start the year off confidently and ready for action.
Protect Your PTA, PTO, and Booster Club with AIM Insurance Coverage
Education is all about discovery. Having resources and making opportunities available encourages students to participate in their own education. Thanks to involved groups like yours, students are getting more and more opportunities for growth.
If you have begun offering programs and camps or plan to host one this summer, don’t forget to protect your group’s events, funds, property, and directors and officers with AIM Insurance. AIM offers your PTA, Booster Club, or PTO the coverage you need to keep your organization running smoothly, contact us today.